“At the end of the day, we are also thinking that Rolls-Royce may be electrified because there is demand from local markets, especially in China,” Stefan Juraschek, head of electric powertrains for BMW Group told Automotive News.“Looking around China, if you want to be in the market, you have to think on electrifying different brands.”

Juraschek said that the final decision about electrifying Rolls-Royce hasn’t been made yet, but other execs have made more definitive statements about the model’s chances. “Electrification is the way forward,” company CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös said in 2017.

Experimental Rolls-Royce 102EX Electric

The electric Rolls is still several years away from hitting the market, though. Phantom product manager Christian Wettach believes that existing batteries would only provide a 120-mile (193-kilometer) range for the opulent sedan. Until the technology makes at least 300 miles (483 km) possible, Wettach doesn’t believe an EV is a viable option. Given the current rate of battery development, this milestone might only be a few years away.

As the company’s flagship model, the Phantom is likely the first candidate to get the electric powertrain. The company even engineered the new generation’s platform to be capable of accepting EV components, according to Wettach.

“In many ways, the powertrain we have now – a twin-turbocharged 6.75-litre V12 – is trying to emulate the quiet, seamless performance of an electric powertrain,” Wettach told Motor1.com.

Don’t look for a hybrid Rolls too soon, though. According to Müller-Ötvös, there’s absolutely no demand for one among the company’s wealthy clients. The company believes that it’s worth waiting for EVs to be mature enough for its market rather than iterating through various electrification strategies.

It certainly will be interesting. It will cost a lot, so they should make it worth it.
Luxo (electro) Barge is pretty funny, since it’s both accurate and amusing.

I like the model too. The silver grey in her dress picks up the color of the car, her demeanor indicates an aloofness and only a passing interest in the observer, as she is enamored by everything RR and the things it represents.
Be one of the elite, drive a RR.

I don’t think they have to focus on aerodynamic features. This car is not for people with a 9 to 5 job, with focus on low running costs. The cost to pay the driver is higher then the fuel cost anyway.

Could get a more modern look, but it’s a RR. No need to look like other cars anyway.

A friend of mine bought a used RR (old), and used it for years. The leather and wood quality was very high. A lot of leg room in the back too. Easy to get the kids out of the car seats in the back too.
Many of the part was super sized, and lastes for years. The parts he had to change was really expensive. He had it for at least 15 years. He sold it to a guy who collected RR cars. It was about 30 years old when he sold it.

So sad these high up executives can’t see the power in today’s ev technology. I know better batteries exist than a 120 mile range and the excecs are not stupid. They know it too. They just don’t want to make electric cars.

Rolls and their customers have the budget and they don’t care if the car is heavy. They could probably pack that huge car with 150 kWh of batteries. The car would probably use about 45kwh/100miles real world highway energy use. That’s 312 miles of range, today!

So don’t. give it a plug and make wireless charging standard. Ergo it is not a PHEV. Now make sure it has more torque than they know what to do with. Price it higher than the comparable ICE only vehicle and voila! You have a profitable product that their customer base can buy into.

The customers are already willing to pay the costs, they already have no problem with the weight of the car and adding 150 kWh batteries in base of the case would not only give the needed range but also make the car even more stable and smoother that it already is.

It is weird, the market is perfect for an electric version – even just having a higher cost is a positive selling point for that market!

But there is a reason that even Porsche and Jaguar are already coming out with BEVs already. They know if they wait too long people may buy elsewhere and HEAVEN TO BETSY like it!

Right now cities are putting extra taxes on polluting cars in the inner cities, soon it will be a ban on cars that can not run 100% on batteries once in the inner city.

At that point it does not matter you drive a RR, it will not matter you are rich, you will have to move to a car that can run without a ICE. If RR waits too long it may find it’s customers are forced to look at other cars.

The concept 102EX had a 124 mile range, so I think current batteries would be a bit better then 120 miles as they suggest. Look at the BMW i3, it’s pack is the same physical size but it’s gone from 22 to 33 kWh. Or the Model S, the 102EX debuted one year before, the Model S in 2012 had at best 265 miles of range, six years later it does 335….